“Once you have food, clothing, and shelter covered, the primary focus of your life should be freedom. Specifically, maximizing the amount of free time you have to yourself, allowing you to live the maximum amount of your time on this planet the way you want.”
“Once you have food, clothing, and shelter covered, the primary focus of your life should be freedom.”
You forgot Privacy & Security, especially in this modern Liberalized age.
Privacy and Security costs money, ask the rich.
Well when i have the free time and money i sure as hell don’t waste it driving a motorcycle to some god forsaken place. Hedonism is the road to sadness.
There are higher, more rewarding things you can do…
Well Gord,
I’m reading your comment from the ferry terminal in Tsawassen. I left Toronto the end of July, took four weeks to get here on northern back roads, and spent a wonderful month all over the island. Now for the ride back to Toronto and a return to work. I’m sure there are higher more rewarding things I could have done, but I can’t think of them and don’t care.
Don’t produce wind – get into it.
Ride Captain Ride.
You read blogs like this and piss and moan about politics and culture and god knows what else and you can’t think of anything you could do?
Instead of working for freedom how about working to expand freedom for all including yourself?
“Once you have food, clothing, and shelter covered, the primary focus of your life should be freedom.”
But what if you already have all of George Michael’s records?
“There are higher, more rewarding things you can do…”
Go ahead and do those things you think more rewarding. Captain Capitalism isn’t specifically inviting you on a motorcycle ride.
I live on the island. Hope you had a great time and have a safe trip back east.
Name one.
I used to teach survival and the main elements are covered there, except the last, most survival solos ended due to loneliness and fear. So ahead of freedom,I would put companionship, quite opposite of freedom . One has to be alone in the dark and cold of the wilderness to miss the ultimate human feeling of insignificance.
I guess my personal and political philosophy is just too … laissez-faire. If Capt. treasures his FREEDOM over the rat race … then good on him. I hope he finds meaning and value exploring the countryside with his legs strapped across the engines. And I hope Gord finds meaning in higher callings … that’s cool too. We are all unique human beings with our own gifts and talents. I believe the WORST thing we can do is nothing. That we are meant to share and give our talents to each other.
And that leads me to remind the Capt. that some frat-boy, bullshittie, bankers, professionals, and wall streeters … are finding THEIR freedom and bliss in the rat race … working … getting rich … spending ungodly sums on SUV’s with video screens in the headrests … living in the “right” neighborhoods … sending their kids to the “right” schools … attending the “right” church … and that’s OK too. So long as they are not lying, cheating, and doing harm to others … then their path in life is equally “valid”. Who knows? Maybe they’ll wake up someday and wish they had lived on the road, like Capt. Cap.
However, the Capt. is right that if the workaholic go-getters believe their wealth elevates them above their fellow man, then they are sadly mistaken and spiritually crippled. Their wealth will be consumed by moth and rusted in place.
Sounds like you need to read the Capt’s. retirement book … https://www.amazon.com/Poor-Richards-Retirement-Everyday-Americans-ebook/dp/B0725GG5LK/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7C8W81ZTMB3FVJKSVCN1
I agree with the silly retirement NUT that everyone is supposed to squirrel-away. It seems a number fabricated by the Association of Stockbrokers … kinda like how DeBeers proclaims that your wife’s engagement ring needs to cost 3-months salary … or my favorite … that your children’s college education will cost $ 150k to $ 250k Ha ha ha ha … what a load of crap. Two years of Community College followed by two years at UCLA got TWO of my children a damn fine (economically-useful) college education for barely $ 30k. The world is full of alternate pathways to the same goal. laissez-faire my friend … laissez-faire…
my observation is that a LOT of leisure activities can lead to a SHORTER life.
p.s. to kenji: I find it most, most curious the good book has that tidbit about rust and moths eons before the advent of multiple billionaires. how prescient.
heard at last night’s prayer meeting:
the old joke about the guy who dies with the most toys wins.
revised version: the guy who dies with the most toys still dies.
“… primary focus of your life should be freedom.”
Maybe it’s just semantics but I think personal fulfillment is the ultimate goal. Given that belief then the phrase in my book would be:
….primary focus of your life should be the freedom to find fulfillment.